Hadrian's Roman Commonwealth - The Pax Romana Podcast 037

Hadrian took over for Trajan, and it was a little awkward. As we saw last time, Trajan went to his deathbed without naming a successor; then over the course of several secretive days, Trajan died and Hadrian emerged as the next emperor. Only Trajan’s wife and praetorian prefect seem to know what happened. Others knew what happened, of course, but they were murdered under mysterious circumstances. Then, four leading senators were also executed without a trial. Whispers of a plot swirled, but to this day we still don’t know what happened. Hadrian would forever be treated with suspicion by the Senate, but the population loved him. Why was Hadrian such a beloved emperor and what was his vision for a new Roman commonwealth?

Primary Sources:

Inscription on Debt Cancellation, CIL 6.976.

Inscription at Lambaesis, ILS 2487.